Today we finally got to start biking! And we couldn't have had a more perfect day for it. After a rainy first few days in Paris, the weather was absolutely beautiful today. Sunny and 70 degrees with a nice breeze in the air. Perfect for biking. And the forecast for the rest of the week is about the same every day, so fingers crossed!
We started off the day with a safety lecture from our guide. She went over traffic laws and how to handle certain situations, and also French road signs. The system we use consists of Odile leading the pack, and a designated "sweep" bringing up the rear. This ensures that no one is left behind if there is a problem. Along the way, if the group becomes spread out and we need to make a turn on our route, Odile asigns a "corner" to stand at the turn and show the rest of the group which way to go. This system worked very well and we had no problems as we biked along.
Before we left we were each fitted to a bike, and given a little practice run on a path along the river where the barge was parked. We had to pass a mini "road test" before we could set off, to make sure we understood the traffic signals we were supposed to use and how to safely cross intersections and whatnot. But after that, we got going!
We covered about 19 miles today, from the town of Evry to the town of Melun. The ride was great. It was so enjoyable. We were able to cover some distance on a nice bike path through some fields and also some nice wooded areas. Other parts of our route were through picturesque little French towns that look just like one might imagine them. Cute little cottages along the Seine. My favorite part was the fact that it is April, and there are lilacs blooming EVERYWHERE. They are everywhere. Literally. The air smells like lilacs every place we go. Lilac trees line the roads. It's wonderful.
We had two decent sized hills to climb today, which proved to be a bit much for many in our group, and many ended up walking their bikes for portions of the trip. I am an outlier in this group of retired age people at only 22, and so for me the pace feels slow, but I have many opportunities to take pictures while I wait with Odile for everyone to catch up, so it's working out just fine!
The barge traveled down the Seine while we biked and met us in Melun. For dinner we had a field greens salad with brie cheese (my favorite!), a pasta dish of macaroni and little meatballs in a spicy tomato-basil sauce, and some sort of delicious parfait for dessert. I missed Markus' description of it but it was great!
Tomorrow we travel to the little village of Moret-sur-Loing. Stay tuned for more!
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